When You Fight With Pigs You Don’t Win – They Do

By Liz Thompson

· Life,Happiness,dignity

“Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it” – George Bernard Shaw, 19thcentury writer and cofounder of the London School of Economics

Now that you have finished laughing out loud, pause for a moment and consider just how shrewd this caution is. By the way, I love the expression, laugh out loud (LOL); it is such a celebration of life and happiness.

Pig wrestling is actually “a sport” which takes place at agricultural and rural fairs in some countries, including the USA. I truly don’t know how anyone could possibly be equipped to wrestle with a heavy, grunting, squealing, biting animal, because the pig not you, determines the rules of engagement.

First of all, to compete in this pig-versus-human wrestling contest you have to enter the sty and reduce yourself to the pig’s level by getting down on all fours, right into the dirt and whatever else might be on the ground. Second, in the sty you are fighting from a place of unfamiliarity – the pig’s turf where the pig is in its element. The pig will not get up on its hind legs and use its front trotters to box, punch and cuff, nor will it exchange witticisms with you.

The pig is at home, comfortable and happy in the dirt where you will be bitten by ants and other insects. Rocks will scrape and cut you, but not the pig. Its skin is thick enough to be used as leather and its hair, or bristles, are strong enough to be used for brushes. Plus, animals carry parasites and diseases that can be transferred to human beings. So in addition to pain and discomfort, the pig is also exposing you to disease.

To wrestle the pig, you must get dirty and fight dirty. Meanwhile, the pig is grunting contentedly, loving every moment of the fight and trying to prolong it. Are you wondering why? Well, not only are you in the pig’s natural element, with the pig holding the upper hand (or trotter), it is gloating at seeing you reduced to its level.

Deeply conscious that you are not getting the better of the pig, tired, sore, bruised, cut, fearing contagion and aware that you have descended to a place you never saw yourself, all you want to do is get up, take a bath, return to your familiar space and pretend that the fight never took place. Even after you have bathed thoroughly and the bruises on your skin fade, the memory of that fight will remain with you. So before you accept the challenge of wrestling with a pig, remember there can be only one outcome, one winner – the pig.

A pig fight is exactly the kind of negative and potentially harmful experience that all of us should avoid. Let’s suppose you were to kill the pig during the fight, you would still have had to reduce yourself to the pig’s level in the first place. You must also remember that you cannot reverse or erase negative, painful experiences. The memory and scars of such experiences can remain with us forever. Sometimes we are wounded afresh just remembering them.

When someone tells you, “you are no better than me,” be very careful, because that is a sure sign of a human-pig looking to wrestle with you. When you are told, “nobody could treat me like that and get away with it” or, “I would not tolerate that if I were you,” exercise as much restraint as you possibly can. Those words should clearly signal to you that a pig is trying to push you into the animals’ enclosure to start a fight, so they can sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

There are people who will do anything to goad you, push you, provoke you, or lure you into the sty to fight with them, or to see you in the sty fighting a pig. You would probably be amazed at how much practice they have had and how efficient and effective they are at provoking these wrestling matches. Once they get you down in the mud where they are most comfortable, they will laugh at you and gloat in triumph. When you let yourself get drawn into “pig fights,” you are surrendering your control and allowing another person to compromise your Self.

Pig wrestling can demean and embarrass. You could end up causing yourself pain, regret or embarrassment. The fight could also have unforeseen social, professional or financial costs to you. Nowadays, the very real risk is that someone will witness the fight and tweet or blog about it, or worst yet, record it with a mobile device and upload the video to Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat or post a picture on Instagram or some other social media platform.

When this happens, before you have had a chance to recover and understand its full consequences, the fight with the pig will go viral. The pig will be interviewed and featured on the news. The pig will be celebrated and toasted on talk shows for its extraordinary bravery in the face of a merciless and unwarranted attack from a vicious opponent. The pig will shoot to fame and be offered a book deal, its own App and reality TV show.

And you? Seriously? Are you really asking me what will happen to you? People will point at you whenever you go out in public. They will think and speak ill of you. You will lose a promised promotion or your job. You will be criticized and avoided by friends and family. You will be vilified and threatened by animal rights activists who will pressure the government to prosecute you for animal cruelty. The pig will bring a civil law suit against you and win. As a result of the Court’s judgment you will end up having to spend the rest of your life supporting the pig and all the piglets he or she ever has. Be in no doubt, that’s what will happen to you.

No my friend, don’t wrestle with pigs. It’s just not worth it. You can’t win and the cost of losing is way too high.

I will avoid animal enclosures and barnyard battles no matter how they are disguised. Fighting with pigs will not win me trophies. I will lose the fight. My happiness will be compromised. I must protect my Self